Clean Tech Business Policy Update (September 7)

CALENDAR

September 28^th / Pennsylvania US Senate Candidate Joe Sestak Fundraiser, contact Anne Marie Fowler / annemariefowler-at-sbcglobal.net

October 4^th / Early Voting Begins in California

News Summary

v   Top Stories

• Boxer, Fiorina spar in first debate, Politico
• Texas Oil Vs. California Clean Tech: The Battle Over Proposition 23, Grist
• Billionaire Koch brothers back suspension of California climate law, Los Angeles Times
• Oakland Tribune endorsement: Voters should endorse cleaner energy by rejecting Proposition 23, Oakland Tribune

v   Government & Politics

• Who Needs BP When You've Got the Koch Brothers to Overturn California's Climate & Energy Laws?  Huffington Post
• Double Play for Global Warming, PBS
• Democrats, After Opposing Climate Bill, New York Times
• Environmental groups face their future in climate-change debate, Washington Post
• Lisa Jackson's High-Wire Act on Carbon Controls, BusinessWeek

v   Science, Jobs, & Investment

• Cleantech Investment Monitor, Cleantech Group
• Global Clean Energy Investment Steady in Q2: Report, EERE News

Articles

v   Top Stories

Boxer, Fiorina spar in first debate / Politico, September 2, 2010

“In the race for California’s Senate seat, Sen. Barbara Boxer and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina have taken numerous personal swipes at each other on the campaign trail. But in their first televised debate Wednesday night, both candidates unleashed a new round of vitriol as they sparred over who is the real “fighter” for Californians,” reports Emily Schultheis.  “Boxer, a Democrat running for her fourth term, dismissed Fiorina as a greedy executive whose positions on social issues put her out of sync with the state’s voters. Fiorina fought back, insisting that the only way to get the economy on track is to retire Boxer, the state’s “bitterly partisan” incumbent.”

Texas Oil Vs. California Clean Tech: The Battle Over Proposition 23 / Grist, August 17

“So far, much of the media attention has focused on Prop 23's funding. It's being underwritten by the Texas oil companies Tesoro and Valero along with other mostly out-of-state petrochemical and fossil fuel interests. So far, Prop 23 supporters have contributed more than $6.5 million to the campaign,” reports Todd Woody.  “But a review of opposition fundraising -- for the No on 23 campaign -- offers a revealing look at what amounts to a fight for the future, a struggle between the industrial behemoths of the old fossil fuel economy and a startup coalition of environmental groups, Silicon Valley technology companies, financiers, and old-line corporations looking to profit from decarbonizing California.”

Billionaire Koch brothers back suspension of California climate law / Los Angeles Times, September 2

“A company owned by oil billionaires Charles and David Koch has contributed $1 million to Proposition 23, a November ballot initiative to suspend California’s groundbreaking 2006 global-warming law,” reports Margot Roosevelt.  “The contribution came from Flint Hills Resources LP, based in Wichita, Kan., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Koch Industries, the nation's second-largest private company, with estimated annual revenue of $100 billion. It was posted online Thursday by the California secretary of state.”

Oakland Tribune endorsement: Voters should endorse cleaner energy by rejecting Proposition 23 / Oakland Tribune, September 5

Arguably the most significant decision facing California voters in November is Proposition 23. It seeks to suspend implementation of Assembly Bill 32, the state's far-reaching law to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote renewable sources energy.

v   Government & Politics

Who Needs BP When You've Got the Koch Brothers to Overturn California's Climate & Energy Laws? / Huffington Post, September 3

The billionaire Koch brothers, one of clean energy's most effective national opponents and funders of the increasingly influential Tea Party, contributed their first $1 million in the fight to overturn California's climate and energy laws in this year's election. No doubt there is more to come. Reports on September 2nd also showed that Tesoro Oil Corp. contributed $1 million to bring the total that they, Valero Energy, and other out of state oil companies have given to win Proposition 23 to more than $8 million. That's more than most races for senate and governor in other states.

Double Play for Global Warming / PBS, September 2

There's a fight brewing on an issue that seemed settled in 2006. That was when California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, flexing his environmental credentials, signed into law a measure that requires a statewide cut in greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. That amounts to about a 15 percent decrease, a move designed to lower the amount of carbon dioxide and other pollutants emitted by manufacturers, power generators, oil companies, ships and any other sources of greenhouse gases.

Democrats, After Opposing Climate Bill / New York Times, August 19

Forty-four Democrats broke ranks last summer on the muscular measure seeking to create a carbon limit for thousands of factories and power plants. Many of them represent districts striped with coal veins, or in conservative pockets of the country where congressional seats shift parties like a manual transmission.

Environmental groups face their future in climate-change debate / Washington Post, August 29

Before, green groups had wanted so much more than this - they wanted a "cap and trade" bill that would set emissions limits nationwide. The House passed a bill like that, but - after industry groups said it would kill jobs and slow the economy - the Senate decided last month to not even take the issue up.

Lisa Jackson's High-Wire Act on Carbon Controls / BusinessWeek, September 2

Early in his Presidency, Barack Obama made it clear that if Congress failed to limit carbon emissions, he would use his authority under the Clean Air Act to control greenhouse gases. Now that Congress has pulled the plug on legislation, that task has fallen to Lisa Jackson, Obama's Environmental Protection Agency chief. Caught between business groups and some Senate Democrats who want to stop her, and environmental organizations that say she's not going far enough, Jackson may have the toughest job in town.

v   Business, Science, & Investment

Cleantech Investment Monitor / Cleantech Group, August 19

A new report published last week from the Cleantech Group's "Investment Monitor" says that California has a whopping edge over other states and other nations in venture capital investment in clean technology. But according to leaders in the clean tech industry, Proposition 23, the ballot measure being bankrolled by two Texas oil companies to eliminate the state's clean energy and clean air standards, will damage the state's leadership and threaten hundreds of thousands of jobs in this growing economic sector. According to the publication, clean tech venture capital investment in California totaled $1.06 billion in the past quarter. That gives California 70 percent of total U.S. investment and 50 percent of global investment. The second top state was Massachusetts, which raised $124 million, representing less than 10 percent of the U.S. total. During the past quarter, the top five clean tech VC deals in the U.S. were all in California (Solyndra, BrightSource Energy, Amonix Inc., Stion Solar Panels, and Amyris Biotechnologies). And it's not just a few large deals that are skewing the figures; in terms of deals done, California accounted for about half of all activity.

Global Clean Energy Investment Steady in Q2: Report / EERE News, August 18

New investment in clean energy technologies, companies, and projects was steady in the second quarter (Q2) of 2010, according to a Bloomberg New Energy Finance report. The analysis, released on July 13, shows that $33.9 billion flowed into clean energy, led by a "continuing boom" in China and some upward movement from the United States that helped offset a drop in European projects. Overall, Q2 investment fell 1.5% from the first quarter of the year, according to the report.